Student pianist wins Bach Festival competition

KALAMAZOO--A Western Michigan University student took home
top honors in the collegiate division of the recent Bach Festival
Keyboard Competition for Young Performers in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Monica Washington, a junior from Holt, Mich.,won for
her performance of Bach English Suite No. 2 and has been
invited to perform on the winners recital Sunday, April 15,
at Grand Rapids Community College. The competition was held Feb. 17
as part of the 2007 Grand Rapids Bach Festival.

Washington is a double major in piano performance and Spanish.
She is the pianist in the WMU student ensemble Trio Aparicion
and is the student of Dr. Stephen Zegree, the WMU Bobby McFerrin
Professor of Jazz.

Zegree says his student is deserving of the honor.

"Monica is a wonderfully gifted student," Zegree
says. "She combines a terrific technique with artistry and
a real flair for performance".

Washington is a graduate of Holt High School and has performed
in several state piano festivals and solo and ensemble competitions
throughout her high school and college career. In 2004, she was
named a Medallion Scholar, the highest honor WMU bestows on an
incoming freshman. The Medallion Scholarships constitute one
of the largest merit-based awards in American public higher education,
and only the very best students are considered for the award.